Traitor: Edward Devenney was caught by MI5 trying to leak to the Russians and now faces jail

Grinning as he poses with a rifle in his hands, this is the embittered Royal Navy officer facing jail for trying to betray his country.

Edward Devenney, 30, offered sensitive military information to two men he believed to be Russian spies.

The petty officer boasted that he had secret details of the movements of nuclear submarines and the workings of a device used to encrypt coded messages.

But the pair were really British agents who were covertly recording the meeting – and Devenney, who had vowed to 'hurt' the Navy after a promotion was scrapped due to budget cuts, was arrested soon afterwards.

At the Old Bailey in London yesterday, he pleaded guilty to amassing information in breach of the Official Secrets Act between last November and this March, and misconduct in a public office. He faces up to 14 years in jail when sentenced next month.

The court heard that as well as offering the supposed spies details of an Enigma-style 'cryptography' device used for coded messages, Devenney also offered secret information about the movements of two submarines carrying nuclear missiles.

The case raises worrying questions about Royal Navy vetting procedures given Devenney's history. In the months leading up to his arrest in March, he had been posting up to 40 messages a day on Twitter discussing his submarine and his anti-Government views.

In addition, two years ago he had gone on trial for raping a young woman with learning difficulties.

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Although he was cleared, the court heard seedy details of his personal life, which involved him betraying girlfriend Charlotte Turner to have a threesome with two other women, and having sex with the alleged rape victim while on aphrodisiac drug amyl nitrate, or 'poppers' – use of which is a dismissable offence in the services.

Enemy: Petty officer Devenney holding a gun and was offering military secrets to an 'enemy' foreign embassy in London

Representatives of the Royal Navy had looked on at the rape trial as Devenney's own lawyer called him a 'cad and a chancer'.

Devenney, the son of a warehouseman
from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, joined the Navy as a
school-leaver, rising to petty officer. He was then sponsored to study
for a degree in electronic engineering, before winning a place on a
course to become a commissioned officer.

It was during a study period in 2009,
while living with girlfriend Miss Turner, 27, an emergency ward nurse,
in Plymouth, that he was charged with rape.

Edward Devenney with partner Charlotte Turner, who it is believed is standing by him

Scandal: Devenney was filmed by MI5 trying to give away tightly-held British secrets to two fake Russian agents

Devenney admitted having
casual sex three times with his accuser, whose learning difficulties
were so great she struggled giving evidence. The jury cleared him of
rape.

After being cleared, Devenney went
straight back to work, first on hunter killer submarine Trafalgar, and
then on Vigilant, which carries nuclear missiles.

He developed a grudge, however, when told that budget cuts had ended his chances of becoming a commissioned officer.

TIMELINE: DEVENNEY'S ATTEMPT TO SEND NAVY SECRETS TO RUSSIA

DECEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012: Devenney has series of text and phone conversations with who he believed were Russian spies - they were in fact from MI5

JANUARY 28 2012: A meeting is set up by MI5 where the submariner offers information to two men pretending to be Russian and is recorded doing so

MARCH 2012: Devenney is arrested and appears in court denying the charges because he said what he was offering was not top secret

NOVEMBER 2012: The 30-year-old changes his plea and admits two charges and denies another, which is dropped

DECEMBER 12 2012: He will be sentenced

Last November, he attempted to contact
the Russian embassy – but it was undercover British agents who arranged
to meet him in London in January.

At an earlier hearing, prosecutor
Mari Read said: 'He gave them information about his submarine including
maintenance periods, refitting work and firing test missiles.

'He also told them about sailing dates and destinations.'

Devenney, who has admitted travelling
overseas without informing superiors as required, had been a heavy
drinker and was considered a suicide risk. He has been in custody since
his March arrest.

His defence barrister, Lord Carlile
QC, claimed at the earlier hearing that his client had been depressed
since his rape trial and the 'secret' information was worthless.

But an intelligence source said
Devenney's leaks could have been passed from Russia to Iran, focusing on
secret submarine manoeuvres in the Persian Gulf.

Last night a Royal Navy source told
the Daily Mail: 'Devenney was a bit of a Walter Mitty character, a
dreamer. We were keeping a very close eye on him. The operation to
establish exactly what he was doing was going on well in advance of the
secret service sting.'

A Ministry of Defence spokesman
refused to discuss the case. Miss Turner also declined to comment but is
understood to be continuing to stand by him.

Hidden: Edward Devenney covers himself up as he arrives at Wesminster Magistrates Court earlier this year and he will be sentenced next month